Lost in literature

Libreria is operated by East London’s Second Home, a mixed social and enterprise space for start-ups situated opposite. The two projects were both designed by Spanish architecture practice SelgasCano. The store’s retail concept draws directly from Second Home’s ethos of creative confluence, aiming to act as a cross-current between as many different individuals, enterprises and ideas as possible.

Libreria’s organisational principle differs from that of regular bookshops, eschewing genre-based classifications for more closely curated sections on themes such as mothers, madonnas and whores, or the sea and the sky. SelgasCano installed undulating book shelves and applied reflective surfaces to the ceiling and walls to create an infinity effect that makes the relatively restricted space feel boundless, enhancing the perception of exploratory browsing.

Second Home founders Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton created Libreria, which bans the use of electronic devices, as an antidote to the myopia of algorithm-based online shopping.